As the U.S. utility PV market shifts from being driven by renewable portfolio standards to other, “non-RPS” procurement drivers, we are seeing a shift towards higher levels of 50 MW+ procurement.

In this research brief, we evaluate current drivers of small (0 – 20 MWdc), medium (20 – 50 MWdc) and large (50 MWdc and greater) utility PV projects. Specifically, we evaluate who are the leading offtaker types across RPS and non-RPS market drivers, plus the primary drivers and constraints to procurement behind each market driver, to evaluate why the next 5 years will be increasingly driven by procurement of large 50 MW+ projects.

Colin Smith is a Solar Analyst at GTM Research, leading the Utility PV Market Tracker and focusing on development trends in the U.S. utility-scale and commercial PV sectors. Colin has 4 years of experience in the PV sector. He graduated from Queen's University with a B.Sc Honours in Environmental Biology and Sustainability.